Officers later discovered that the woman was being threatened by her husband, who was reportedly in an “abnormal state.” The situation was brought under control, and her safety was secured.
A duty officer at Sharjah Police’s emergency call centre rescued an expatriate woman after realising that her repeated request to “order pizza” was a coded plea for help while she was being threatened at home.
The incident was shared by Captain Majid Al Bas, Head of the Communications Operations Branch at Sharjah Police, during the “Aman Ya Biladi” programme aired on Sharjah Radio in collaboration with the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority.
Captain Al Bas said the operator, identified as Khamis, received a call from a foreign woman who repeatedly said, “I want to order pizza,” even after he informed her she had reached the police and not a restaurant. Sensing that she may have been speaking under duress, he kept her on the line.
To gather information and buy time, the officer asked how many pizzas she would like, hoping to understand how many people were present in the house, as well as what drinks she wanted. She replied that she wanted one pizza, subtly indicating that only one person was in the house.
While keeping her on the line, Khamis informed his supervisor and initiated tracing procedures. The operations centre was able to identify her location within Sharjah, and field units were quickly dispatched.
Officers later found that the woman was being threatened by her husband, who was reportedly in an “abnormal state.” The situation was brought under control and her safety was secured.
Captain Al Bas said the case highlights the importance of training emergency call staff to recognise indirect or coded distress signals, especially when victims are unable to speak openly. He noted that such disguised requests are an internationally recognised method used by individuals seeking discreet help, and added that Sharjah Police personnel are trained to detect subtle behavioural and linguistic cues during emergency calls.
